Night Train to Murder – 1983 | 70 mins | Comedy | Colour

Plot Synopsis

Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise had long been frustrated movie actors, during the 60’s Rank had attempted to cash-in on the tv fame by producing a trio of modest comedies including The Magnificent Two (1967), That Riviera Touch (1966) and The Intelligence Men (1965). Sadly the films weren’t as successful as hoped and Eric and Ern returned to the small screen and became a national institution with the long-running The Morecambe & Wise Show.

In 1978 the duo were poached from the BBC by ITV.Their salary rose but the clincher was that ITV had a film division, Euston Films, and Eric and Ernie wanted to make another feature. The result was Night Train to Murder, a pastiche of Agatha Christie and the Old Dark House thrillers that’s production values resemble a tv film rather than genuine feature.

Scripted by Eric, Ernie and director Joe McGrath, the murder mystery story kicks off in Carlise, 1946, where the two stage performers are visited by Eric’s niece. A solicitor arrives that evening representing the niece’s deceased great uncle, and soon the trio are bound for Scotland for the reading of the will.